An Electrifying Condo Design

Project: L’Avenir Living condominiums

Type: Multifamily residential

Architect: Davis Davis Architects

MEP engineer: Group 14

Contractor: Philgreen Construction

Gasoline was a scourge for the LEED Platinum-certified L’Avenir Living condo project in Fort Collins, Colorado: buried tanks from a former filling station required extensive cleanup. The need for brownfield remediation on the urban infill site inspired Davis Davis Architects to eschew all fossil fuels in the new building, which is super efficient and all electric.

Aside from brownfield cleanup, strategies for achieving LEED Platinum included limiting onsite parking, intensive water conservation, ground-source heating and cooling, energy-recovery ventilation, a robust and airtight building envelope, and a shared electric vehicle.

The project is also striving for net-positive energy. In fact, the project team helped inspire LEED Positive, a long-term vision for all LEED-certified buildings to achieve net-positive performance in several categories.

Additionally, L’Avenir is a candidate for Living Building Challenge Energy Petal certification and entered its one-year performance period earlier this month.